“Shrimp is the fruit of the sea"
A very strong argument can be made for the 1990's being the best decade in the history of film. It's a period when we simultaneously saw CGI movie technology finally catch up with the screenwriter's imagination, as well as the rise of indy movies into mainstream movie viewing. In the middle of all that was 1994 – one of the top 5 greatest movie years of all time. Try and come up with a better 1, 2, 3, punch than Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, & The Shawshank Redemption! I could ramble on the subject for hours but for now let's move onto the food.
Basically the inspiration for this came from watching Forrest Gump while eating a bowl of Rhode Island Clam Chowder. I know what you're asking, what the hell is Rhode Island Clam Chowder!? Basically it's a much cleaner, stock based version of the typical cream and tomato based offerings found in New England and New York. It's awesome, trust me. In the spirit of my other posts I've also included the famous clip of Bubba rattling off all the things you can do with shrimp . . . classic. Recipe is below, enjoy !!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoons dried thyme
- pinch of cayenne
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large jalapeno, minced (optional)
- 2 cups corn kernels, more or less – fresh, frozen or even canned
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks (optional)
- 4 or more cups chicken stock or mixture of chicken and shrimp or fish stock
- 1 pound fresh raw shrimp, peeled and sliced in two, if large chopped green onions for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- In a Dutch oven, cook the oil and flour over medium heat, while stirring, until light brown.
- Add the seasonings, onion, green pepper, celery, garlic and jalapeno (if using) and cook, stirring, until vegetables wilt and begin to brown.
- Add the broth and bring to a simmer. (I use half chicken stock and half fish stock made with “Better than Bouillion” fish base if I don’t have time to make shrimp stock from the shells.) Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add corn and potatoes, if using. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10 more minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook for another 3-5 minutes until shrimp turn pink. Adjust seasonings, adding cayenne or Tabasco if desired. Garnish with green onions and serve.